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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28402137">Leap of Faith</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/WildHoneyProse/pseuds/WildHoneyProse'>WildHoneyProse</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Blood and Injury, Bounty Hunters, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Fluff, Fox and Riyo on the run, Foxiyo - Freeform, Foxiyo Week 2020, Hurt/Comfort, Riyo is a bit loopy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 16:20:29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,768</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28402137</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/WildHoneyProse/pseuds/WildHoneyProse</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Riyo and Fox are on the run from a bounty hunter after their speeder is shot down.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Riyo Chuchi/CC-1010 | Fox</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>60</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Do You Trust Me?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>For Foxiyo week day 2: Trust</p><p>Riyo and Fox's speeder has been shot down and they are on the run.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Her ears were ringing. Riyo felt a splitting pain in her head and something wet and sticky on her face. She was swaying slightly as if something or someone were rocking her to sleep, and she could just barely make out someone shouting her name from what seemed like a long way away. Riyo tried opening her eyes but found that it only made the pain worse. Unconsciousness tempted her with relief and she was happy to oblige. Just as she was drifting off she heard her name again. </p><p>“Riyo!”</p><p>The voice sounded familiar, deep and soothing, a sound she secretly treasured. She couldn’t remember who the voice belonged to but she knew that she trusted them, and right now they sounded worried, urgent. </p><p>Riyo forced her eyes open. It hurt. Bad. For a moment she wondered if they had opened at all, everything was so dark and the world spun around her. Slowly things started to come into focus, lights… shapes... and she was vaguely aware of something cool and hard pressed against her and wrapped around her. <em> But oh, how lovely it would be to just go back to sleep </em> she thought as she closed her eyes again.</p><p>“Riyo! Can you hear me?”</p><p>There was that voice again. It belonged to a man. Even with her eyes closed, she could picture golden-brown skin and dark mysterious eyes. She associated that voice with one who was steady and brave and loyal.<em>   What’s his name again? </em> She thought, <em> Oh yes, Fox. I’m in love with him...  </em></p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Wait… I’m what? </em>
</p><p> </p><p>That thought jolted her out of her daze and her eyes flew open to find those dark, mysterious eyes peering into her own with such worry and tenderness she felt her heart skip a beat. “Fox?” she choked.</p><p>“Riyo!” Fox sighed in relief. “Are you ok?”</p><p>“Well… I don’t feel so great.”</p><p>She admired the way Fox’s eyes lit up when he smiled. “Well, that’s pretty normal when you get thrown from an exploding speeder.”</p><p> </p><p>It all started to come back to her now. Fox was her security escort home from a banquet in honor of the Toydarian King Katuunko, who had officially joined the Republic. The banquet had been lovely, with an abundance of fine food, strong drink, and senators in their most expensive clothing. Riyo usually enjoyed that kind of event, but she’d found herself worried and distracted, her mind ever drifting to her family and her home planet that was reeling under the Trade Federation Blockade.  </p><p>The banquet had lasted until late into the night. Riyo had been ready to get home and more than a little pleased that Fox was her assigned security escort. They had been friends for a while but she had found herself thinking about him more often, more excited than usual to see him and deeply disappointed whenever he had to leave. His steady presence beside her on the way home soothed her and their conversation had all but driven the worries from her mind.</p><p>They were in an upper lane of traffic when suddenly there was a blinding light and a jolt that nearly threw her from the speeder, Riyo had grabbed at Fox’s arm as they plummeted toward the ground. She remembered that Fox had somehow managed to call for backup, avoid hitting any buildings or oncoming traffic, and land their speeder safely on the rooftop of a nearby building just before it threw them both into the air on a wave of heat and noise and flame. <em> And pain. So much pain. </em> Then everything had faded to black. </p><p> </p><p>As her memories began to return, she became aware that they were in a large open space between two tall buildings--probably another rooftop. The wreckage of their speeder glowing brightly at the far end of the space and the lights and sounds of the Coruscant nightlife dimmed slightly by the tall buildings on either side of them. Then she realized that Fox was carrying her. His arms were under her shoulders and knees and holding her safely against his chest, their faces close enough that she could see the gold flecks in his eyes. His armor was cool and smooth, but she found that heat was rising in her face at the closeness. </p><p> </p><p>She took a deep breath to compose herself, then realized Fox was limping. “Are you hurt?”</p><p>He shrugged “It’s not a big deal. I’ll be fine, but right now we have to get out of here.”</p><p>“You’re limping. You should put me down, I think I can walk.”</p><p>He paused and she felt his arms hold her tighter for a moment as if he never wanted to let go. Then he gently lowered her to her feet, moving an arm around her waist in case she wasn’t ready to stand on her own. </p><p>Her head instantly started spinning and Fox tightened his grip on her waist as she swayed. She squeezed her eyes shut and let his strong arms steady her. When her head stopped spinning she opened her eyes and looked up at him “I think I’m good now.”</p><p>“Why don’t you try walking before I let go?”</p><p>Her head was pounding, but she was steady on her feet and Fox pulled his arm away to let her walk on her own. </p><p> </p><p>Suddenly, blaster fire shattered the silence and lit up the dark space around them. Fox grabbed Riyo’s hand and ran, his other hand reaching for his blaster. They ran to a large vent hood at the far end of the rooftop. Fox gently but firmly pushed Riyo down behind the vent before drawing his other blaster and peering out over the top to look for their attacker. Blaster bolts whizzed above his head and he dropped back down behind the vent, unclipping his helmet from his belt and shoving it onto his head.</p><p>“They’re in that building to the right. Stay down!” Fox said, then broke cover to fire a few shots of his own before dropping back down beside her.</p><p>Riyo’s head started spinning again and was bleeding badly. It was getting harder for her to focus, but she did notice that she felt quite calm, given her current situation. </p><p> </p><p>Fox’s wrist comm lit up with an incoming call.</p><p>“Fox here”</p><p>“Fox! It’s Stone! What the hell is going on? Where are you?”</p><p>“Our speeder was shot down. We’re being pursued. Sending our coordinates now,” Fox answered.</p><p>“Got it! We’ll be there as soon as we can! Good luck and stay safe!” </p><p>“Just get here as quick as you can. And bring Patch. The Senator is injured.”</p><p>“Copy. Stone out.”</p><p> </p><p>“You’re injured too ya know…” Riyo said, a small grin forming on her face despite the world furiously spinning around her. </p><p>He glanced down at her with an amused look on his face, then followed her gaze to the blood seeping through his cracked right thigh plate.</p><p>“You should take better care of yourself…” she teased, the words blending together slightly as the signs of her concussion started to show.</p><p>“You sound like Thire,” he shot back with a grin, before quickly checking their surroundings.</p><p>“Thire is a smart man and a good brother. You should promote him… and give him a raise,” she said as she swayed a bit, blinking hard to refocus her eyes.</p><p>“I think you hit your head harder than I realized,” Fox replied, worry and amusement in his voice. </p><p>Riyo made a face of mock offense and hit his shoulder. “You’re lucky you're so pretty or I might be offended by that.”</p><p> </p><p>Fox froze and color began to rise in his face, but the moment was quickly broken by blaster fire blazing from their right, far too close for comfort. Fox shoved her down and threw himself over her to shield her, then hauled her around the vent, as far away from the shooter as possible.</p><p>Once she was out of the way, Fox stood to fire back, taking aim in the direction the shots had come from. The sound of loud cursing told Riyo that he had hit his mark.</p><p>Riyo was trying to focus on Fox and not on the way the world kept spinning around her or the blood that was pooling on the ground around them. </p><p>Fox surveyed their surroundings, then stood and took a few more shots before looking down at her. “Do you trust me?”</p><p>She looked into his eyes and knew instantly that he was the reason she felt so calm. “Yes,” she said with confidence. “I trust you with my life.”</p><p>Fox smiled. “Good. We’re gonna have to jump.”</p><p>“I’m sorry, What?!”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>To Be Continued...</p><p>Thank you to the amazing hrtiu for beta'ing this chapter for me!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Brave and True</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>For Foxiyo Week: Fearless</p><p>Fox has a plan to escape their attacker, he just has to help Riyo get past her fears.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“We’re going to have to jump,” Fox repeated, pointing to the narrow gap between the rooftop they were currently on and the catwalk wrapping around the next building over. “We’ll jump onto that catwalk and follow it to the trash chute at the end there and use that to get to the ground. We should be able to lose the shooter easier down on the busy streets. Are you going to be ok?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Fox recognized the terrified look in Riyo’s eyes, he had seen it hundreds of times before in the eyes of shiny young troopers. He knew that she had a concussion and that they had both lost a lot of blood, but he also knew running was their best chance. His face softened as he took her hand in his own “Riyo, I know you can do this. I will be right here with you. You said you trusted me. Now I need you to be as fearless in this as you are in the senate chamber. Can you do that for me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He watched as the fear in her eyes shifted to steely resolve, “Yes, I can do it.” She answered. “As long as you’re with me.” She squeezed his hand and smiled bravely, making Fox’s heart swell with pride.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Fox returned her smile. “Ok, I’ll lay down cover fire and when I say “go” you run to the edge there. I’ll be right behind you. You good?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wouldn’t say good… But I’ve got it. Just say when.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When they were both ready to make a run for it, Fox peered over the vent once more to be sure the shooter hadn’t moved again. Blaster fire came from the same place it had before, but it was a bit more scattered, telling Fox that his last shot had hit its mark. That was good news. If the shooter was injured, this crazy plan just might work.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Fox gripped his pistols and started shooting in the direction of their attacker as he stood. “Go!” He shouted as return fire burned past him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>__</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Riyo stood, the pain and lightheadedness almost knocked her off her feet, but she grit her teeth and ran toward the edge as steadily as she could. A few feet away though, she froze, her eyes going fuzzy and dark at the edges. The gap they needed to jump was only about three feet, but as she thought of the ground far below them, her head began spinning wildly, and it felt more like thirty. Blaster fire whizzed by her head leaving her ears ringing and her hair singed. Riyo had no idea how she was going to make the jump, but Fox had said she could, so she had to believe him. He was counting on her and she had to be brave.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>__</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Fox sensed her hesitancy and squeezed off a few more shots, the last one resulting in a loud curse and a moment of relief from returning fire. “You can do this Riyo! On three!” He said, placing one of his pistols back into his belt and grabbing her hand. “One. Two. Three!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They both ran the last few feet toward the edge and jumped, landing less than gracefully on the catwalk. Fox wrapped his arms around Riyo just in time to keep her from collapsing and then they both took off toward the chute, Riyo running just in front of Fox, clinging to his free hand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Just as they were about to jump in, a shot smacked the wall right next to Riyo’s head. Fox quickly pushed her into the chute just as another shot hit him on the shoulder. He cursed under his breath and fired off a few more shots before jumping in behind her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Down they went, faster and faster until the chute ended about 6 feet above a large trash bin. Fox narrowly avoided crushing Riyo as they shot out and landed in the heap of rubbish and rotting food. The smell made him gag even with his helmet on, he couldn’t imagine how bad it was for Riyo. Scrambling up as quickly as he could, he lifted Riyo over the edge of the bin, setting her safely on the ground, and climbed out behind her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Riyo gasped and pointed at the fresh blaster hole in his shoulder. “Fox, you’ve been hit!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine, we have to keep going!” He replied, grabbing her hand again and practically dragging her down the alley into the crowded street. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>__</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After traveling several blocks, Fox led RIyo into a crowded nightclub. The noise made her head throb even more than it had all night and the edges of her vision started to fade to black again. As she stumbled she felt Fox’s arm weave around her waist to steady her. She leaned into his side, his steady strength calming her fear as they pressed through the crowd of rowdy patrons making their way toward the back of the room. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The club was dimly lit and overcrowded. No one even seemed to notice the richly dressed pantoran and the clone trooper who were severely disheveled and covered in blood. It smelled like booze and sweat which did nothing for Riyo’s headache, although it did distract from the smell of trash radiating off of both of them. Off to the left side was a stage with a live band and dancers entertaining the crowd. There was a dance floor directly in front of the stage and a long bar covering the opposite wall, with booths and tables in front of heavy dark curtains lining the back wall.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Riyo let Fox lead her to the back of the club where it was darker and there was an exit leading to the alley behind it - perfect for a quick escape. He pulled her onto a bench hidden to the rest of the club by one of the heavy, dark curtains draped behind the booths, then he scanned the club for any sign of pursuit before sending Stone their coordinates.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Riyo sat gratefully and smiled when Fox sat beside her, resting her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes. It wasn’t very comfortable with his armor, but it was better than trying to hold her own head up any longer. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>__</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fox knew he should probably be standing guard, but he decided that the immediate danger was enough behind them that he could take a moment to rest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You did really great back there,” Fox whispered as he leaned in and wrapped his arm around Riyo, pulling her closer to his side.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He noticed when Riyo looked up at him, that her smile was crooked and her eyes a bit unfocused as she answered tiredly, “I was pretty brave wasn’t I?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Fox knew she had a concussion but despite his worry, he couldn’t help but smile at how cute she was when she was loopy. “Mmhm” he hummed, “so brave.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His comm lit up and he answered quietly “Fox here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was Stone. “We’re here,” he said. “ Meet us out behind the club, we’ve already scouted the alley and it’s all clear.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stone is a good brother Fox, you should promote him too... and don’t forget the raise…” Riyo mumbled, clearly losing her grip on reality.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I agree with the senator Fox, I absolutely deserve a promotion and a raise,” Stone laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Fox rolled his eyes “You’re already a Commander and we don’t get paid, genius.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who are we to argue with a Senator?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Fox chuckled, “We’ll be out in a minute. Make sure Patch is ready with a stim, she’s lost a lot of blood.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sohas Fox! Hegotshot.” Riyo added, the words blending together. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good to know Senator. We’re ready for you both.” Stone answered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Fox didn’t even try to get Riyo to stand. He simply stood and scooped her up in his arms and slipped out the back door into the alley leaving the noise behind them.</span>
</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I'm really loving this little story! I have plans for one more chapter to wrap it up! Thanks for reading friends!!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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